Global Study Finds Some Fisheries Rebounding when Managed Well

WCSs work in Kenya takes part of global assessment showing
improvement in some fisheries Good
management means more fish in the sea, research says

NEW
YORK – A groundbreaking new
study by the Wildlife Conservation Society and an international team of
scientists brings surprising good news for some of the world’s fisheries:
efforts to curb overfishing have begun to succeed giving hope that fish stocks
can rebuild if given a chance.

The
study examined global fish populations and fishing trends in ten large marine
ecosystems and found that in five of the areas where intensive management is
taking place, fish stocks were beginning to rebuild. The two-year study, published
in the July 31st issue of the journal Science, was
led by Boris Worm of Dalhousie University and Ray Hilborn of the University of
Washington along with an international team of 19 co-authors including Wildlife
Conservation Society conservationist Tim McClanahan.

According to the study, most of the
fisheries that showed improvement are managed by wealthy industrialized nations
with the U.S., Iceland, and New Zealand showing the most success.
However, a notable exception is in Kenya, where the Wildlife Conservation
Society conducts long term fisheries research. WCS has advised local
managers and communities to close some key areas to fishing and restrict
certain types of gear. This has led to an increase in the size and prices of
fish available, and an increase in fishers’ incomes.

“Kenya
has experienced first-hand the problems of unrestricted access to fisheries,
which has led to overfishing.” said McClanahan. “However, in
those areas where the lessons of good management have been applied, it has been
a win-win situation, with improved fisheries subsequently improving the
long-term livelihoods for fishers.”

“This
study shows that given the opportunity, the world’s oceans can rebound
from over-fishing,” said Dr. Caleb McClennen, Director of WCS’s
Marine Program. “When considering the myriad environmental threats
facing the world’s oceans, improved fisheries management is critical to
the sustainability of both marine biodiversity and human livelihoods. This is
particularly true in less-developed countries where coastal peoples depend upon
the health of some of the world’s most bio-diverse marine ecosystems for
survival on a daily basis.”

The study warns that many areas are
still suffering from collapse of fisheries as a result of overfishing with some
63 percent of assessed fish stocks in need of re-building. The Wildlife
Conservation Society works throughout the world’s four oceans to
safeguard marine life and seascapes by encouraging good principles of fisheries
management including restrictions of destructive gear, fisheries closures and
rebuilding overfished stocks.The
work conducted by WCS for this publication was supported by the
Tiffany
& Co. Foundation and the Western Indian Marine Science Association.”

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so through science, global conservation, education and the management of the
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Zoo. Together these activities change attitudes towards nature and help
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